No. 7 Notre Dame spoils debut of Texas A&M coach Mike Elko

 No. 7 Notre Dame spoils debut of Texas A&M coach Mike Elko

 No. 7 Notre Dame spoils debut of Texas A&M coach Mike Elko

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- No. 7 Notre Dame spoiled the debut of Texas A&M coach Mike Elko and made a statement on Saturday night, securing a 23-13 victory over the No. 20 Aggies with a strong second-half performance at Kyle Field, in front of 107,315 fans.

A1This win marked Notre Dame's first road victory over a ranked SEC opponent since 2004. The game tested the patience of the Irish, who didn't take the lead until the 6:50 mark of the third quarter, thanks to a 47-yard touchdown run by Jadarian Price.

"That was a huge victory for our program against a really, really good football team," said Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman. "It wasn't pretty, but the defense played lights out, [forced] turnovers."

The game also marked the debut of Notre Dame's new quarterback, Riley Leonard, a former Duke player who was coached by Elko there. Leonard finished 18-of-30 for 158 yards and added 63 rushing yards, navigating a tough A&M defense that Freeman praised as likely the best the Irish would face all season. Leonard commended his team's patience in a challenging environment.

"It's tough, especially in that environment," Leonard said. "The SEC is different. Coming down here in Texas is different... Very grateful for the outcome."

Notre Dame's defense dominated, holding Texas A&M to just 246 total yards and forcing two interceptions from Aggies' quarterback Conner Weigman, who completed only 12-of-30 passes for 100 yards. The Aggies' 13 points were their fewest in a season opener since 2000, also against Notre Dame.

For the Aggies, it was a disappointing start under Elko, who acknowledged the challenge of facing his former player.

"It wasn't fun," Elko said. "I knew it wouldn't be. He made a bunch of big-time plays... He did what he did and made enough plays to win the football game."

Notre Dame's ground game took control late, rushing for 198 yards and scoring two touchdowns after halftime, with Jeremiyah Love contributing 91 rushing yards and his first career touchdown against an FBS opponent.

"They came in here and they beat us," Elko admitted. "There was really no https://constituentcreepingabdicate.com/v337fgpd6?key=4e8d2168023bde537ef034944b97adeetwo ways around it."

For Freeman, now in his third year, the victory sets a strong tone for the season. The Irish are favored in every remaining game according to ESPN's Football Power Index, and Leonard believes this win boosts their confidence going forward.

"If we can go into this environment and beat a team like that, it gives us all the confidence in the world to go into any environment in the country," Leonard said.